"With your husband, sit down and figure out a list of age-appropriate chores for your children. Explain to the children that you are a family and everyone helps to make the home function. Someday they will be mommies and daddies and they need to know how to do all the various jobs that make a home work. Then train them in the various tasks. We have made a chart for our children for their chores each day and they know to check the chart when it is morning or afternoon chore time. This also eliminates any friction between children over who swept the floor yesterday, whose responsibility it is, etc. On a personal note, when we implemented this, the biggest challenge was me letting go of a 'job perfectly done.'  I had to remember that they are children and they are just learning.  We do inspect their chores, but hold them to a standard that is reasonable for their age.  We also give them more chores over the summer than during the school year."  ~ Jen

"One thing that made a big difference in my home was changing a few words.  By constantly asking for 'help,' I was conditioning my family to think that these things were my responsibility and that I couldn't handle my own job.  I now say 'Your job is to do the dishes,' rather than 'Help me out by doing the dishes.' Everyone has a job to do, whether it is working to provide money for food, cooking the food, or cleaning up afterwards.  Since the kids are too young to contribute financially to the family, they do the majority of the housework because that is what they are capable of doing.  It has also cut down on the amount of whining (both from me and the kids!) because everyone is part of the team effort." ~ Prajna